Our Mission

﻿The Mission of the MLK Health Center & Pharmacy is to extend comprehensive primary healthcare and pharmacy services at no cost to uninsured patients with chronic illness who otherwise often forgo routine medical care because of a lack of resources.

Sharing Our Story as a Free Clinic & Pharmacy

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﻿In The News ﻿﻿

MLK Health Receives CVS Grant

The grant has been awarded as part of the CVS Health Foundation’s commitment to address the need for more accessible, coordinated health care in our local communities. The grant will support MLK Health Center's diabetes and cardiovascular disease programs.

“The grant we’re receiving from the CVS Health Foundation will help us in our continued effort to reduce overall health care costs and improve patient care outcomes for those in our local community,” said Janet Mentesane, Executive Director for MLK. “We are honored to receive this grant which will help ensure that we can support patients in Shreveport and surrounding parishes who are looking for accessible, neighborhood health care options.”

Over the past four years, the Foundation has donated nearly $5 million to increase access to quality care and support the management of chronic disease.

"Our support has yielded significant results over the past four years that demonstrate how increased access to quality care and innovative approaches to chronic disease management can affect the lives of the most vulnerable Americans," said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation.

MLK Women's Health Program Receives $30,000 Grant from Avon

The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program has awarded a $30,000 one-year grant to MLK Health Center & Pharmacy to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer and advance the mission of our Women’s Health Program to provide screenings for uninsured and underinsured women across the region. It is the sixth year that the program has received funding from the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the program’s excellence.

The Women’s Health Program at MLK Health Center & Pharmacy educates women in Northwest Louisiana and refers them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities.​

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population in the United States that have diabetes. While an estimated 21 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 8.1 million people are not aware that they have this disease. Many will first learn that they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerve disease and amputation. Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age but without diabetes.

﻿Free & Charitable Clinics Need Help﻿

Free and Charitable Clinics like, MLK Health Center & Pharmacy are on the frontlines of the issue of access to care.

We offer a hand up, not ahand out, to someone who is struggling with the all too often hidden shame of not being able to pay for health care. We activate at the local and grassroots level, not the government level, to meet the healthcare needs of our community. Read more in The Times

How your dollars make a difference

﻿Open one of the PDFs below to learn more about how your donations translate into quality health care for the most vulnerable members of our community.﻿

The Everyday Choices Community Garden and Learning Center was made possible through a $35,966 donation from energy giant BHP Billiton. A check presentation was held Tuesday in the garden. The move will further expand MLK Health Center’s services, according to executive director Janet Mentesane. Listen on Red River Radio.